Identification of the mitochondrial receptor complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mitochondrial protein import involves the recognition of
preproteins by receptors and their subsequent translocation across
the outer membrane. In Neurospora crassa, the two import receptors,
MOM19 and MOM72, were found in a complex with the general insertion
protein, GIP (formed by MOM7, MOM8, MOM30 and MOM38) and MOM22. We
isolated a complex out of S. cerevisiae mitochondria consisting of
MOM38/ISP42, the receptor MOM72, and five new yeast proteins, the
putative equivalents of N. crassa MOM7, MOM8, MOM19, MOM22 and
MOM30. A receptor complex isolated out of yeast cells transformed
with N. crassa MOM19 contained the N. crassa master receptor in
addition to the yeast proteins. This demonstrates that the yeast
complex is functional, and provides strong evidence that we also
have identified the yeast MOM19.